At about 6:00 tonight, Emily Murphy, the Trump appointee at the head of General Services Administration who has been holding up the transition to a Biden administration, notified President-Elect Joe Biden that she recognizes his status and will release the money set aside for the transition.
I am relieved. I promised myself I would keep my Biden-Harris lawn sign up until Michigan certified and/or the GSA authorized the transition. Today, I get to retire it. (But I’m keeping it as a memento of an historic time.) I keep returning, though, to the 70+ million of my fellow Americans who voted for Donald Trump. It sure looks like Trump, McConnell and McCarthy believe that Trump or a hand-picked Trumpist will be running in 2024. Maybe, just maybe, the ambitions of those Republicans who are done with Trumpism and maybe even the Southern Strategy, will find a way to challenge them successfully this time. But I remain concerned and watchful and am so grateful for these Letters and for my fellow readers.
"Marinate." I love that. Overall, it feels like a fever has broken.
As WAPO analysed, Sidney Powell including Kemp into her conspiracies might have nudged her out of the spotlight she had just days before shared with Giuliani.
Usually after a political illness such as we have just endured, a little rest and we will begin to heal, but as the professor hints, we must remain vigilant or we could easily relapse into another bout.
Rest up, people. It ain't over, but our prognosis is improving.
Good post, as always! We must be as cautious about the 45 virus as the C19 one. Yes, there is hope on the horizon, but we have to continue to take preventative and precautionary measures until the vaccine is fully rolled out, and even then caution is advisable, as the virus can return. The 45 virus is every bit as deadly and insidious. Many people are asymptomatic, and do not show flag rash or gun fever. Protect yourselves, keep safe distancing. Above all, stay healthy!
Don’t make the mistake of expecting radical gun control measures, though. There are many many responsible people who want to own a gun or two, but are not fire breathing 2d Amendment militia types. Many, especially in rural and remote areas actually do feel a real need to have them them for home protection. They must be recognized and accommodated. They must.
We need responsible gun owners to come forward with sensible gun control measures. I would expect some kind of licensing, akin to a driver’s license: training required, with penalties for misuse including loss of license in extreme cases. None of this craziness allowing guns to toddlers. If people who know guns won’t speak up, then we city dwellers who see guns only as murder tools fight alone against the guns everywhere lobby...
Sadly, the "they are taking our guns" crowd has infected many of the decent legal gun owners - the ones who see the idiocy of having to have an assault weapon!
That's exactly why the "decent legal gun owners" need to speak out, to articulate a path forward that regulates guns to reduce carnage in a way most gun owners can understand and support.
Yes, recognize and accommodate, but within reason. Most of those responsible people in my neck of the North Woods support most of the proposed gun laws, including not allowing guns in our State Capitol building.
I don’t know if anyone watches MSNBC but Lawrence O’Donnell has been calling out Emily Murphy for 15 days. She and everyone needs to be exposed like this, constantly. She held our country hostage, at the direct instruction of her crazier-by-the-minute boss.
Reagan upended things when he took welfare benefits away from those who needed them. Between the VA denial of Vietnam vets having PTSD and becoming part of the homeless population and Reagan’s mean-spirited move to make the unfortunate poorer, Republicans sure made their mark. Dems have been too apologetic, too nice. Time to take our House back!
It is not "our" House, Marlene. If we "take it back", we need to be looking at how we can create an equitable society and a representative government that doesn't simplify things down so much that it excludes not only people, but opportunity to participate. This isn't an issue of being too nice. We've been too passive and taken too much for granted. That's a long way from being too nice. That's being disengaged, and it is the black community and others excluded who woke (some of) us up and made us realize that we truly are in this together. Let's expand that. Excluded a different group of people isn't going to solve our problems.
We will have a problem with our elected officials until there is a way to run for public office without millions of dollars AND without being horribly attacked by the media. Who in their right mind would want that? In Washington we see it even at the state & county level. I'm not sure if city races have gotten expensive, but some have been mean.
I absolutely agree with you about African Americans and other POC constant exclusions. We can thank the magnificent Stacey Abrams for bringing them to the polls. We can also thank technology for enabling those communities to bring us painful videos of the horrendous treatment law enforcement has caused for too many years. I do feel Dems have been too “nice”. We always trusted the proverbial handshake as solid. Well, we woke up with this administration and we simply won’t let that happen again.
Last evening, during the local news word of the capitulation of GSA came over the airwaves. Then details on the national news cemented it in place, and a calm washed over my mind. I breathed. And the announcement of a third potent vaccine was like icing on the cake.The promise of a peaceful transition of government, and another gift from science to help with the scourge of Covid.
Tempering that calm is the news of massive travel by citizens to celebrate TG. There is little doubt that the new administration will now face the prospect of several hundreds of thousands of new cases of Covid daily. All hospital systems in the country overwhelmed. Many deaths. Unthinkable.
This is Tuesday morning. Tell everyone you know to stop in place. Cancel all travel plans. Celebrate with only your daily family. Listen to what the new task force asks of citizens and resolve to do your part. These next weeks and months are going to be difficult.
There will be many group gatherings on a Thursday. We can hope that there are few serious consequences.
We are watching our local situation carefully before deciding on eating with the family. There is a significant spike in cases, although the actual numbers are still small. If the spike continues today and tomorrow, we’ll contribute our pie or whatever to the menu, but will go (masked) to pick up our servings and eat them at home. I hope the others will follow our example.
I'm in Vermont where there are fewer cases compared to other states, but I have chosen to be alone this year. It's not worth the risk (and I'm making up a take-away plate for our mailman who also chooses to be alone). People will not listen to suggestions, or Governor's mandates in our case, and there will be serious consequences. I don't wish to be part of that problem.
I just got my negative test result so I could go to my sons. And now his girlfriend’s kids were exposed at their father’s house. I’m staying put! But it’s not a sacrifice to me. If we’re careful there will be many more celebrations for years to come. Plus I love my space. I hope my students are careful!
You’ve made the correct decision—stay at home. The problem with testing, is it only indicated that specific point in time. You could be infected immediately afterwards and not know it.
No matter how many times the medical people make that known - people still consider the act of being tested as a panacea! The fact that you can test negative & just not be symptomatic clearly is obvious.
Hello, fellow Vermonter. Covid-19 finally made it to "community transmission" status in Vermont, and indeed we are seeing a surge of cases. The bulk of these appear to be in the counties with the two primary entry points from outside the state, both population centers, which was also where most of the early cases were. You are right: unless we are very careful, that will spread quickly.
My part of Vermont, so far, has not experienced this. People are very careful here. Normally, the streets would be full of morning walkers on a sunny morning like today. But I have seen no one today.
I am still leery about going grocery shopping. I need, among other things, carrots for the big batch of bean soup I am making to freeze up in serving size containers. Got plenty of bread flour though... I am a lifelong bread baker, which makes these days easier.
Yay Bread Making! Yesterday I received, from 3 different sources, gifts of almost 50 pounds of flours! From bleached to organic! Let the baking commence!
Isn't it fun having several different kinds of flour to bake with. My daughter found a fabulous Vermont-grown whole wheat for me that makes the best bread ever. I've got a find-ground for biscuits and pancakes (also VT grown), a good all-purpose flour that I mix with wh wht for cookies, and small quantities of things like rye, corn, grain mix for texture. I use the bread machine to mix, but have a large baking stone in my oven for baking the bread- makes great crust.
We often wander a bit (Heather too!). It's part of getting to know our online community better. And it's good practice for mending our off-line communities. Trading recipes and cooking secrets is a time-honored way to become acquainted and to heal.
Why don't you ask in a new thread so your question gets the attention it deserves? The short answer is Yes. But with a lot of dedication and work (and financial help if you can: I send a weekly donation to GA's senate races), it won't be Trump's Senate. Fingers crossed.
Thanks for the reply..but hope has nothing to do with it. I am gravely concerned about what happens in the next 6-12 week. We could go to 3-4 hundredK case PER DAY. That will stop all normal activity. See those food lines in Texas. That is but a small prequel .
I agree - I'm making green bean casserole (per request) to send to my son & his family - they are about 5 minutes away - but my daughter in law's sons & their families will be there & the adults work - which means they interact with other people! So I'm staying home & will swap the dish of green bean stuff for a full plate - which works! And Like Denise - I love MY space, too - just me, my dog & my cat - well, outside wildlife too.
Thank you for expressing how my husband and I felt last night at 6:35 PM in NYS. We were assembling dinner. High fives. Sighs of relief tempered by understanding that the GA races will determine the fate of Biden’s ability to work with the Senate. But, it was a moment of relief and hope. I have 185 GA GOTV postcards to get ready by Sunday night. Georgia on my mind. ❤️🤍💙
Hopefully Uncle Joe has figured out that the "go along to get along" Senate no longer exists and that Republicans aren't "opponents." They're The Enemy. And unlike Obama in 2009, I hope he understands that "The REAL fight starts AFTER you win."
In the meantime, we can all be pretty damned proud of ourselves. I've been playing this all evening:
I didn't realize that was FDR's campaign song in 1932. Interesting that the lyrics are by Jack Yellen since Janet Yellen was just named Biden's Secretary of the Treasury. Don't think there is any connection other than a Happy coincidence. What an incredible pick for Treasury!
That was fun. YouTube gave me this gem while I was there: a lookback at highschool kids who grew up in the 50s/60s. That would be me. The title is misleading: the film seems to focus on the kids who were in the self-defined "popular" group, but it also clearly defines the other kids and what their lives were. Ultimately, the film is a good piece of sociological history, an old documentary, with modern commentary. And boy, does it help explain some of how we got to where we are now!
To Ms Richardson: your nightly letter, sometimes written after midnight (!), has been a salve for the persistent 'trump rash' of this past year. I have simply felt better, opening your letter, and seeing comments from names I have come to recognize. I so admire your consistent (daily!!) effort. Thank you! Indeed, we can now turn the page on a dark moment in our history. But, as has been stated by others in various ways, I would like to say we still have a dark stain on our collective psyche, as American citizens living through divisions in our families, communities and society.
You’ve addressed the Southern Strategy over the past months, and I feel that we Democrats must acknowledge our failure to meet the needs of working class, white America. I’m sorry to say, but ‘Professor Obama’ never spoke to the class strife in America. And I am loathe to realize that powerful authoritarian interests preyed upon economically disadvantaged people (with ‘prayers’ to their Jesus).
So, it is with great hope that I bring the following link to our discussion, from yesterday’s Washington Post. My hometown mayor, of Pittsburgh, has penned an editorial with co-signatures of seven other Ohio River Valley (ORV) mayors, stretching along the banks of the Ohio River from Pittsburgh to Louisville, KY.
THIS editorial is a translation for the residents of the ORV, of the flowery and visionary rhetoric of two of my favorite political figures, Bernie and AOL. But I must admit, having spent 35 years in Pittsburgh, a city I dearly LOVE, that these mayors speak the language of these working class neighborhoods. We don’t need to speak of a ‘revolution’ and ‘Democratic Socialism’ to advocate for an economy which works for everybody.
Perhaps, the mayors’ plan will suffice: “We need a Marhshall Plan for Middle America"
A "Marshall Plan for Middle America" as a daughter of a man who was a member of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers for 50 years, I love it.
As a former “Region Rat” from NW Indiana, this article heartened me. I grew up between Gary and Chicago and my dad worked his whole life for (then) Standard Oil. People worked either In refineries or steel production. People moved into the middle class with these jobs. For years and years people were replaced by automation or cheaper steel from overseas. Yet the area, on the lower tip of Lake Michigan, produced hard-working people. I know the ORV had the same. I would love to see such a Marshall Plan. It might be what makes some of the 70M who voted for Trump and his empty promises reconsider.
Yes, these blue collar industries with its white collar management and investor class truly built our great middle class and the functioning working class. So many of our generation are of this ilk. Our stories are different, but very similar
The influence of talk radio is underrated. When the AM stations began to proliferate in Florida, the author James Michener came out of retirement to sound the alarm about hate radio and it’s rising popularity .
Rush Limbaugh became #1 and a barely literate young Shaun Hannity got his start in the small town of Athens, Alabama.
AM radio stations were cheap and sprung up everywhere across the nation, spreading hate and distrust in our government. A favorite target was Earth Day, belittling environmentalists as tree huggers.
The news that the transition can finally begin is welcome, indeed. However, we must not forget that much still hangs in the balance with the upcoming GA runoff. If McConnell remains in power Biden’s ability to truly govern and to begin to repair the damage done under this regime will be hamstrung, at best. I am hearing too many comments along the lines that everything will be ok now. It won’t. Biden and Harris and their team face an uphill battle and you can be sure that there will be heckling from the sidelines and loyal opposition players who manage remain on the inside will do their absolute best to somehow throw the game. Sadly, I fear this will be our future going forward because with nearly half of the country voting to continue the cruelty and destruction of the past four years the problems run deeper into the heart of our nation than most of us would like to acknowledge. There will be no quick fix. We must prepare for and engage in what is likely to be a long and arduous process to keep democracy alive in America. I do not believe for a minute that trump has “bowed to reality”, as Heather put it. That simply is not their MO. He likely has something up his sleeve or in the background that he thinks will work to his advantage and needed these past 16 days to put it in place. But, as Heather also said, “we’ll see”.
Texting for Indivisible for the GA runoffs yesterday. Of approximately 50 responses, one was negative and one was unclear. All others were enthusiastically for the two Dems. Never had that level of positive response in any other texting campaign. Btw, side note: one of our texters got Jon Ossoff’s mother!
Thank you for so eloquently expressing my views. There is no need for me to add anything except that I will be working through the T day holiday at home writing to Georgians and donating to Abrams, Warnock and Ossoff. ❤️🧡💙
Prof. Richardson, Your work on this newsletter has helped keep hope alive for me through these difficult, difficult times. Please keep it going. And, please take very good care of yourself. We all need your remarkable voice, and will continue to do so.
I read your work every day and listen to John Biewen's excellent podcast 'Scene on Radio'. In particular, his 2017 and 2018 works "Seeing White" and "Men".
We have a long way to go. Yet, both yourself and John Biewen lead with hope, clarity and confidence that the journey can be and must be grounded in the better angels of our history and our present.
Thank you for being an advocate of a brighter future.
It was a good day in Michigan, a sigh of relief, albeit temporary in view of the make-up of the legislature. Leadership makes all decisions and party members carry the water for them. If only all legislative candidates were required to pass a course in the history of politics before running for office, it might awaken a new independence of thinking. I sure wish they all subscribed to Letters From An American. Looking forward to tomorrow’s video. Thank you so much for bringing facts to the fore.
I agree with Patrick in that it feels like a fever has broken. Knowing the transition can start with funding and space now feels like we have turned a corner. I’m amazed at the relief I feel.
Are Trump supporters feeling the panic we felt under his “reign?” And if so, how do we change their minds?
I heard at least three people close to me, all liberal like I am, and white like I am, express a feeling of having their eyes and hearts opened to the plight of Black Americans in the wake of George Floyd’s death. I could tell by our conversations that the national discourse had shown them some things they hadn’t known before.
Perhaps some Trump supporters can have their minds and hearts opened.
I agree wholeheartedly with having my eyes opened. I feel a sense of shame that I didn’t know better before. But, I also believe that this newfound awareness I, and others like me, have, is the formerly missing catalyst for lasting change. The full support of ordinary white people like me is what is needed for things to change, and I’m committed to helping that happen.
Heather, thank you for another encouraging Letter and succinct summary of a complicated time in our history.
Even though we are moving towards some sanity and competence in our government... I am concerned that this nightmare will NOT be over after January 20, 2020. A significant group of the voters in the United States have locked into “alternative facts” being spread on platforms like Breitbart, The Daily Wire, and Parler. (To name a few) They truly believe all of this alternative information and conspiracy theories. I’m so discouraged that our new reality includes many folks who are out of touch with actual reality. Time will tell if these moderate Republicans will get onto a new “team of rivals” to bring our democracy back from the brink and hopefully stop this “mad king” from sabotaging our precious United States on his way out of the White House door.
Cue Kate Smith...”God Bless America, Land that I Love...🇺🇸❤️
You just triggered a memory. Just looked it up and it will be 50 years ago to the day on November 28th that I played in the orchestra accompanying Kate Smith as she sang "God Bless America" for the "Night of Stars". Monty Hall emceed and celebrities like Bill Cosby came to Wichita to perform in a national broadcast to raise funds for the families of 31 members of the Wichita State University Football team who died in a plane crash in the Rockies. Unlike that plane, I hope we can pull up fast enough in the box canyon DT has been flying us into to survive. Biden's strong cabinet is making me hopeful.
I was moved today with Anthony Blinken, Biden's choice for Secretary of State, with his story of his step father who was a the Holocaust survivor. He escaped and ran through the woods. He heard a tank and then saw the 5 pointed star on it rather than the swastika. He ran up to it and an American black soldier came out. His step father kneelt and said the three words of English that his mother had taught him: "God Bless America".
The good news is that Trump's cabinet picks are getting strong support from the left/progressive wing of the party. Matt Yglesias notes that Janet Yellen is the first "economic triple crown winner" - Council of Economic Advisors, Fed, and now Treasury. "She outranks her husband, who only has a Nobel Prize in Economics." Putting the former Secretary of State who negotiated the Paris Treaty in as Environmental Envoy and putting that position inside the National Security Council definitely makes the point of where the environment and climate change rank with this administration. One hopes we aren't "10 days late and $100 short."
I was curious how it went for any children of such an economic power couple. Not too bad. Janet Yellen and her Nobel husband George Akerlof have a son Robert Akerlof, 32, an economics professor at the University of Warwick in the UK.
Well, I would not say strong support. Biden's picks are certainly a slight bit better than others perhaps. But very fossil fuel and military industrial complex-oriented. We'll still be a warmongering empire, I fear. Especially if Trump and Bibi and MBS and the UAE go to war on Iran, as seems likely after Bibi met Pompeo and MBS in Saudi Arabia semi-secretly.
I think the comparison between Biden's picks & Trump's would be more than a "slight" bit better! At the very least they are people who know how government WORKS, right? Living the past 4 years with a crew of loyalists - who DO NOT understand what government IS - much less how its supposed to work has been a disaster. And yeah, reading that Bibi met with MBS - Pompeo in the midst? Frightening.
Sorry; I realized that may have been confusing. I meant in comparison with Obama and prior Dems. One cannot really compare with Trump's picks. And yeah, Biden's cabinet picks.
The takeaway from Biden’s ignoring the trump drama and keeping his eye on the ball, is a lesson I wish we’d all learn. Let’s stop looking at trump and the trumpsters and do the work at hand. What we focus on grows bigger. He knows that. We have work to do.
I'm still aghast at those who voted and continue to support the man currently in office. I'm sending $$ to the folks in Georgia and keeping my fingers crossed for the strength in Stacy Abrams and her team for her good work. May Biden pick up a senate who will work with him. Thank you Heather for your wonderful analysis and for the enlightenment you've provided to those of us who dislike politics. I still dislike it, but it's very interesting to learn our history.
I am relieved. I promised myself I would keep my Biden-Harris lawn sign up until Michigan certified and/or the GSA authorized the transition. Today, I get to retire it. (But I’m keeping it as a memento of an historic time.) I keep returning, though, to the 70+ million of my fellow Americans who voted for Donald Trump. It sure looks like Trump, McConnell and McCarthy believe that Trump or a hand-picked Trumpist will be running in 2024. Maybe, just maybe, the ambitions of those Republicans who are done with Trumpism and maybe even the Southern Strategy, will find a way to challenge them successfully this time. But I remain concerned and watchful and am so grateful for these Letters and for my fellow readers.
I’ll put my lawn sign away and bring it back for the Inauguration!
I’m retiring my lawn sign this AM, and wrote an invitation to my two neighbors to ceremoniously do the same, at 9AM.
"Marinate." I love that. Overall, it feels like a fever has broken.
As WAPO analysed, Sidney Powell including Kemp into her conspiracies might have nudged her out of the spotlight she had just days before shared with Giuliani.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2020/11/23/what-line-did-sidney-powell-cross-that-rudy-giuliani-didnt/?utm_campaign=wp_the_5_minute_fix&utm_medium=email&utm_source=newsletter&wpisrc=nl_fix&carta-url=https%3A%2F%2Fs2.washingtonpost.com%2Fcar-ln-tr%2F2cfb6f7%2F5fbc38669d2fda0efb721cde%2F5bae55a6ade4e2323eaf0dc1%2F27%2F48%2F5fbc38669d2fda0efb721cde
Usually after a political illness such as we have just endured, a little rest and we will begin to heal, but as the professor hints, we must remain vigilant or we could easily relapse into another bout.
Rest up, people. It ain't over, but our prognosis is improving.
Good post, as always! We must be as cautious about the 45 virus as the C19 one. Yes, there is hope on the horizon, but we have to continue to take preventative and precautionary measures until the vaccine is fully rolled out, and even then caution is advisable, as the virus can return. The 45 virus is every bit as deadly and insidious. Many people are asymptomatic, and do not show flag rash or gun fever. Protect yourselves, keep safe distancing. Above all, stay healthy!
“Flag rash”! “Gun fever”. I like that!
Don’t make the mistake of expecting radical gun control measures, though. There are many many responsible people who want to own a gun or two, but are not fire breathing 2d Amendment militia types. Many, especially in rural and remote areas actually do feel a real need to have them them for home protection. They must be recognized and accommodated. They must.
We need responsible gun owners to come forward with sensible gun control measures. I would expect some kind of licensing, akin to a driver’s license: training required, with penalties for misuse including loss of license in extreme cases. None of this craziness allowing guns to toddlers. If people who know guns won’t speak up, then we city dwellers who see guns only as murder tools fight alone against the guns everywhere lobby...
Great points!
Sadly, the "they are taking our guns" crowd has infected many of the decent legal gun owners - the ones who see the idiocy of having to have an assault weapon!
That's exactly why the "decent legal gun owners" need to speak out, to articulate a path forward that regulates guns to reduce carnage in a way most gun owners can understand and support.
Yes. Ok. Sufficient for protection. Not attack weapons, AK 45s, machine guns, etc!
Yes, recognize and accommodate, but within reason. Most of those responsible people in my neck of the North Woods support most of the proposed gun laws, including not allowing guns in our State Capitol building.
I don’t know if anyone watches MSNBC but Lawrence O’Donnell has been calling out Emily Murphy for 15 days. She and everyone needs to be exposed like this, constantly. She held our country hostage, at the direct instruction of her crazier-by-the-minute boss.
Reagan upended things when he took welfare benefits away from those who needed them. Between the VA denial of Vietnam vets having PTSD and becoming part of the homeless population and Reagan’s mean-spirited move to make the unfortunate poorer, Republicans sure made their mark. Dems have been too apologetic, too nice. Time to take our House back!
It is not "our" House, Marlene. If we "take it back", we need to be looking at how we can create an equitable society and a representative government that doesn't simplify things down so much that it excludes not only people, but opportunity to participate. This isn't an issue of being too nice. We've been too passive and taken too much for granted. That's a long way from being too nice. That's being disengaged, and it is the black community and others excluded who woke (some of) us up and made us realize that we truly are in this together. Let's expand that. Excluded a different group of people isn't going to solve our problems.
We will have a problem with our elected officials until there is a way to run for public office without millions of dollars AND without being horribly attacked by the media. Who in their right mind would want that? In Washington we see it even at the state & county level. I'm not sure if city races have gotten expensive, but some have been mean.
Agree! It’s awful even at the city levels. Ugh
I absolutely agree with you about African Americans and other POC constant exclusions. We can thank the magnificent Stacey Abrams for bringing them to the polls. We can also thank technology for enabling those communities to bring us painful videos of the horrendous treatment law enforcement has caused for too many years. I do feel Dems have been too “nice”. We always trusted the proverbial handshake as solid. Well, we woke up with this administration and we simply won’t let that happen again.
Last evening, during the local news word of the capitulation of GSA came over the airwaves. Then details on the national news cemented it in place, and a calm washed over my mind. I breathed. And the announcement of a third potent vaccine was like icing on the cake.The promise of a peaceful transition of government, and another gift from science to help with the scourge of Covid.
Tempering that calm is the news of massive travel by citizens to celebrate TG. There is little doubt that the new administration will now face the prospect of several hundreds of thousands of new cases of Covid daily. All hospital systems in the country overwhelmed. Many deaths. Unthinkable.
This is Tuesday morning. Tell everyone you know to stop in place. Cancel all travel plans. Celebrate with only your daily family. Listen to what the new task force asks of citizens and resolve to do your part. These next weeks and months are going to be difficult.
There will be many group gatherings on a Thursday. We can hope that there are few serious consequences.
We are watching our local situation carefully before deciding on eating with the family. There is a significant spike in cases, although the actual numbers are still small. If the spike continues today and tomorrow, we’ll contribute our pie or whatever to the menu, but will go (masked) to pick up our servings and eat them at home. I hope the others will follow our example.
I'm in Vermont where there are fewer cases compared to other states, but I have chosen to be alone this year. It's not worth the risk (and I'm making up a take-away plate for our mailman who also chooses to be alone). People will not listen to suggestions, or Governor's mandates in our case, and there will be serious consequences. I don't wish to be part of that problem.
I just got my negative test result so I could go to my sons. And now his girlfriend’s kids were exposed at their father’s house. I’m staying put! But it’s not a sacrifice to me. If we’re careful there will be many more celebrations for years to come. Plus I love my space. I hope my students are careful!
You’ve made the correct decision—stay at home. The problem with testing, is it only indicated that specific point in time. You could be infected immediately afterwards and not know it.
No matter how many times the medical people make that known - people still consider the act of being tested as a panacea! The fact that you can test negative & just not be symptomatic clearly is obvious.
Hello, fellow Vermonter. Covid-19 finally made it to "community transmission" status in Vermont, and indeed we are seeing a surge of cases. The bulk of these appear to be in the counties with the two primary entry points from outside the state, both population centers, which was also where most of the early cases were. You are right: unless we are very careful, that will spread quickly.
My part of Vermont, so far, has not experienced this. People are very careful here. Normally, the streets would be full of morning walkers on a sunny morning like today. But I have seen no one today.
I am still leery about going grocery shopping. I need, among other things, carrots for the big batch of bean soup I am making to freeze up in serving size containers. Got plenty of bread flour though... I am a lifelong bread baker, which makes these days easier.
Yay Bread Making! Yesterday I received, from 3 different sources, gifts of almost 50 pounds of flours! From bleached to organic! Let the baking commence!
The gifters know I won't go to grocery stores, and they hope to stay on my bread list.
Isn't it fun having several different kinds of flour to bake with. My daughter found a fabulous Vermont-grown whole wheat for me that makes the best bread ever. I've got a find-ground for biscuits and pancakes (also VT grown), a good all-purpose flour that I mix with wh wht for cookies, and small quantities of things like rye, corn, grain mix for texture. I use the bread machine to mix, but have a large baking stone in my oven for baking the bread- makes great crust.
Mmmmmmmm
I feel as if we’re getting away from the topic of politics here, and isn’t that a relief!!
However, someone please tell me - can trump’s Senate block The President-Elect’s cabinet picks? Still learning...
We often wander a bit (Heather too!). It's part of getting to know our online community better. And it's good practice for mending our off-line communities. Trading recipes and cooking secrets is a time-honored way to become acquainted and to heal.
Why don't you ask in a new thread so your question gets the attention it deserves? The short answer is Yes. But with a lot of dedication and work (and financial help if you can: I send a weekly donation to GA's senate races), it won't be Trump's Senate. Fingers crossed.
Thanks for the reply..but hope has nothing to do with it. I am gravely concerned about what happens in the next 6-12 week. We could go to 3-4 hundredK case PER DAY. That will stop all normal activity. See those food lines in Texas. That is but a small prequel .
I agree - I'm making green bean casserole (per request) to send to my son & his family - they are about 5 minutes away - but my daughter in law's sons & their families will be there & the adults work - which means they interact with other people! So I'm staying home & will swap the dish of green bean stuff for a full plate - which works! And Like Denise - I love MY space, too - just me, my dog & my cat - well, outside wildlife too.
Thank you for expressing how my husband and I felt last night at 6:35 PM in NYS. We were assembling dinner. High fives. Sighs of relief tempered by understanding that the GA races will determine the fate of Biden’s ability to work with the Senate. But, it was a moment of relief and hope. I have 185 GA GOTV postcards to get ready by Sunday night. Georgia on my mind. ❤️🤍💙
Hopefully Uncle Joe has figured out that the "go along to get along" Senate no longer exists and that Republicans aren't "opponents." They're The Enemy. And unlike Obama in 2009, I hope he understands that "The REAL fight starts AFTER you win."
In the meantime, we can all be pretty damned proud of ourselves. I've been playing this all evening:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gqsT4xnKZPg
I didn't realize that was FDR's campaign song in 1932. Interesting that the lyrics are by Jack Yellen since Janet Yellen was just named Biden's Secretary of the Treasury. Don't think there is any connection other than a Happy coincidence. What an incredible pick for Treasury!
"Happy Days Are Here Again" was a theme song at Democratic National Conventions until Bill Clinton was nominated.
Aw, that’s so fun! And below it was the version by Barbra Streisand and Judy Garland:
https://youtu.be/UxFvQEanqbQ
Wonderful!!Just posted it! Thanks!
That got me dancing and smiling! Thank you. 🎵
That was fun. YouTube gave me this gem while I was there: a lookback at highschool kids who grew up in the 50s/60s. That would be me. The title is misleading: the film seems to focus on the kids who were in the self-defined "popular" group, but it also clearly defines the other kids and what their lives were. Ultimately, the film is a good piece of sociological history, an old documentary, with modern commentary. And boy, does it help explain some of how we got to where we are now!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=giQxUkZ4Anc
To Ms Richardson: your nightly letter, sometimes written after midnight (!), has been a salve for the persistent 'trump rash' of this past year. I have simply felt better, opening your letter, and seeing comments from names I have come to recognize. I so admire your consistent (daily!!) effort. Thank you! Indeed, we can now turn the page on a dark moment in our history. But, as has been stated by others in various ways, I would like to say we still have a dark stain on our collective psyche, as American citizens living through divisions in our families, communities and society.
You’ve addressed the Southern Strategy over the past months, and I feel that we Democrats must acknowledge our failure to meet the needs of working class, white America. I’m sorry to say, but ‘Professor Obama’ never spoke to the class strife in America. And I am loathe to realize that powerful authoritarian interests preyed upon economically disadvantaged people (with ‘prayers’ to their Jesus).
So, it is with great hope that I bring the following link to our discussion, from yesterday’s Washington Post. My hometown mayor, of Pittsburgh, has penned an editorial with co-signatures of seven other Ohio River Valley (ORV) mayors, stretching along the banks of the Ohio River from Pittsburgh to Louisville, KY.
THIS editorial is a translation for the residents of the ORV, of the flowery and visionary rhetoric of two of my favorite political figures, Bernie and AOL. But I must admit, having spent 35 years in Pittsburgh, a city I dearly LOVE, that these mayors speak the language of these working class neighborhoods. We don’t need to speak of a ‘revolution’ and ‘Democratic Socialism’ to advocate for an economy which works for everybody.
Perhaps, the mayors’ plan will suffice: “We need a Marhshall Plan for Middle America"
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2020/11/22/marshall-plan-middle-america-eight-mayors/
A "Marshall Plan for Middle America" as a daughter of a man who was a member of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers for 50 years, I love it.
As a former “Region Rat” from NW Indiana, this article heartened me. I grew up between Gary and Chicago and my dad worked his whole life for (then) Standard Oil. People worked either In refineries or steel production. People moved into the middle class with these jobs. For years and years people were replaced by automation or cheaper steel from overseas. Yet the area, on the lower tip of Lake Michigan, produced hard-working people. I know the ORV had the same. I would love to see such a Marshall Plan. It might be what makes some of the 70M who voted for Trump and his empty promises reconsider.
Yes, these blue collar industries with its white collar management and investor class truly built our great middle class and the functioning working class. So many of our generation are of this ilk. Our stories are different, but very similar
I’m happy to see a family member of the IBEW liked my comment!
It was a great comment😀.
An excellent idea!
Thanks, Frederick, for this link. It is excellent. And yours is one of the names I’ve come to recognize here, always with very worthwhile commentary.
Yes! Excellent!! Thank you 🙏🏻 ❤️🤍💙
Excellent!!
The influence of talk radio is underrated. When the AM stations began to proliferate in Florida, the author James Michener came out of retirement to sound the alarm about hate radio and it’s rising popularity .
Rush Limbaugh became #1 and a barely literate young Shaun Hannity got his start in the small town of Athens, Alabama.
AM radio stations were cheap and sprung up everywhere across the nation, spreading hate and distrust in our government. A favorite target was Earth Day, belittling environmentalists as tree huggers.
But their favorite target was Hillary Clinton....
The Bulwark.com has an article title “The Marketing Theory Which Explains Why Trump Owns The GOP”, by David Shaywitz. Nov 19, 2020
https://thebulwark.com/the-marketing-theory-which-explains-why-trump-owns-the-gop/
Thanks for bringing this article to our attention, Charlene. It explains a lot.
So true! Spot on Margaret. Great comment.
The news that the transition can finally begin is welcome, indeed. However, we must not forget that much still hangs in the balance with the upcoming GA runoff. If McConnell remains in power Biden’s ability to truly govern and to begin to repair the damage done under this regime will be hamstrung, at best. I am hearing too many comments along the lines that everything will be ok now. It won’t. Biden and Harris and their team face an uphill battle and you can be sure that there will be heckling from the sidelines and loyal opposition players who manage remain on the inside will do their absolute best to somehow throw the game. Sadly, I fear this will be our future going forward because with nearly half of the country voting to continue the cruelty and destruction of the past four years the problems run deeper into the heart of our nation than most of us would like to acknowledge. There will be no quick fix. We must prepare for and engage in what is likely to be a long and arduous process to keep democracy alive in America. I do not believe for a minute that trump has “bowed to reality”, as Heather put it. That simply is not their MO. He likely has something up his sleeve or in the background that he thinks will work to his advantage and needed these past 16 days to put it in place. But, as Heather also said, “we’ll see”.
Texting for Indivisible for the GA runoffs yesterday. Of approximately 50 responses, one was negative and one was unclear. All others were enthusiastically for the two Dems. Never had that level of positive response in any other texting campaign. Btw, side note: one of our texters got Jon Ossoff’s mother!
That’s great news, Marcy! Thank you for your hard work on this.
Just donated to both dems. Will do again until run off!!
Need to remove Mc Connell's chokehold!
Thank you so much for sharing this great news. I’ve texted in the past and never had that kind of response. Texting with his mother...:) 🥰❤️🧡💙
Thank you for so eloquently expressing my views. There is no need for me to add anything except that I will be working through the T day holiday at home writing to Georgians and donating to Abrams, Warnock and Ossoff. ❤️🧡💙
Prof. Richardson, Your work on this newsletter has helped keep hope alive for me through these difficult, difficult times. Please keep it going. And, please take very good care of yourself. We all need your remarkable voice, and will continue to do so.
I read your work every day and listen to John Biewen's excellent podcast 'Scene on Radio'. In particular, his 2017 and 2018 works "Seeing White" and "Men".
We have a long way to go. Yet, both yourself and John Biewen lead with hope, clarity and confidence that the journey can be and must be grounded in the better angels of our history and our present.
Thank you for being an advocate of a brighter future.
Blessings.
Glenn, I see your M.Div—are you a priest or minister? What a super combo with RN!
It was a good day in Michigan, a sigh of relief, albeit temporary in view of the make-up of the legislature. Leadership makes all decisions and party members carry the water for them. If only all legislative candidates were required to pass a course in the history of politics before running for office, it might awaken a new independence of thinking. I sure wish they all subscribed to Letters From An American. Looking forward to tomorrow’s video. Thank you so much for bringing facts to the fore.
All candidates for public office should have to pass, in public, the same test given to applicants for citizenship.
Now THAT would be interesting & probably very entertaining!!
I think there are a lot of things that would be great to confirm about a candidate before they can run. I don't think Civics 101 is too much to ask.
I agree with Patrick in that it feels like a fever has broken. Knowing the transition can start with funding and space now feels like we have turned a corner. I’m amazed at the relief I feel.
Are Trump supporters feeling the panic we felt under his “reign?” And if so, how do we change their minds?
I heard at least three people close to me, all liberal like I am, and white like I am, express a feeling of having their eyes and hearts opened to the plight of Black Americans in the wake of George Floyd’s death. I could tell by our conversations that the national discourse had shown them some things they hadn’t known before.
Perhaps some Trump supporters can have their minds and hearts opened.
I would suggest substituting “rain” for “reign”, but then water might take me to court. (Cue the vaudeville comedy theme.)
I agree wholeheartedly with having my eyes opened. I feel a sense of shame that I didn’t know better before. But, I also believe that this newfound awareness I, and others like me, have, is the formerly missing catalyst for lasting change. The full support of ordinary white people like me is what is needed for things to change, and I’m committed to helping that happen.
I am committed to changing the narrative as well!
Heather, thank you for another encouraging Letter and succinct summary of a complicated time in our history.
Even though we are moving towards some sanity and competence in our government... I am concerned that this nightmare will NOT be over after January 20, 2020. A significant group of the voters in the United States have locked into “alternative facts” being spread on platforms like Breitbart, The Daily Wire, and Parler. (To name a few) They truly believe all of this alternative information and conspiracy theories. I’m so discouraged that our new reality includes many folks who are out of touch with actual reality. Time will tell if these moderate Republicans will get onto a new “team of rivals” to bring our democracy back from the brink and hopefully stop this “mad king” from sabotaging our precious United States on his way out of the White House door.
Cue Kate Smith...”God Bless America, Land that I Love...🇺🇸❤️
You just triggered a memory. Just looked it up and it will be 50 years ago to the day on November 28th that I played in the orchestra accompanying Kate Smith as she sang "God Bless America" for the "Night of Stars". Monty Hall emceed and celebrities like Bill Cosby came to Wichita to perform in a national broadcast to raise funds for the families of 31 members of the Wichita State University Football team who died in a plane crash in the Rockies. Unlike that plane, I hope we can pull up fast enough in the box canyon DT has been flying us into to survive. Biden's strong cabinet is making me hopeful.
I was moved today with Anthony Blinken, Biden's choice for Secretary of State, with his story of his step father who was a the Holocaust survivor. He escaped and ran through the woods. He heard a tank and then saw the 5 pointed star on it rather than the swastika. He ran up to it and an American black soldier came out. His step father kneelt and said the three words of English that his mother had taught him: "God Bless America".
The good news is that Trump's cabinet picks are getting strong support from the left/progressive wing of the party. Matt Yglesias notes that Janet Yellen is the first "economic triple crown winner" - Council of Economic Advisors, Fed, and now Treasury. "She outranks her husband, who only has a Nobel Prize in Economics." Putting the former Secretary of State who negotiated the Paris Treaty in as Environmental Envoy and putting that position inside the National Security Council definitely makes the point of where the environment and climate change rank with this administration. One hopes we aren't "10 days late and $100 short."
You mean Biden's cabinet?
I was curious how it went for any children of such an economic power couple. Not too bad. Janet Yellen and her Nobel husband George Akerlof have a son Robert Akerlof, 32, an economics professor at the University of Warwick in the UK.
Well, I would not say strong support. Biden's picks are certainly a slight bit better than others perhaps. But very fossil fuel and military industrial complex-oriented. We'll still be a warmongering empire, I fear. Especially if Trump and Bibi and MBS and the UAE go to war on Iran, as seems likely after Bibi met Pompeo and MBS in Saudi Arabia semi-secretly.
Among other articles:
https://www.commondreams.org/views/2020/11/23/hey-joe-where-you-going-pentagon-your-hands
https://www.commondreams.org/views/2020/11/23/what-if-they-called-election-and-nothing-changed-war-state
https://www.commondreams.org/news/2020/11/23/iran-crosshairs-reports-secret-meeting-between-netanyahu-mbs-and-pompeo-spark-fears
I think the comparison between Biden's picks & Trump's would be more than a "slight" bit better! At the very least they are people who know how government WORKS, right? Living the past 4 years with a crew of loyalists - who DO NOT understand what government IS - much less how its supposed to work has been a disaster. And yeah, reading that Bibi met with MBS - Pompeo in the midst? Frightening.
Sorry; I realized that may have been confusing. I meant in comparison with Obama and prior Dems. One cannot really compare with Trump's picks. And yeah, Biden's cabinet picks.
Kind of thought that was the case.
The takeaway from Biden’s ignoring the trump drama and keeping his eye on the ball, is a lesson I wish we’d all learn. Let’s stop looking at trump and the trumpsters and do the work at hand. What we focus on grows bigger. He knows that. We have work to do.
I'm still aghast at those who voted and continue to support the man currently in office. I'm sending $$ to the folks in Georgia and keeping my fingers crossed for the strength in Stacy Abrams and her team for her good work. May Biden pick up a senate who will work with him. Thank you Heather for your wonderful analysis and for the enlightenment you've provided to those of us who dislike politics. I still dislike it, but it's very interesting to learn our history.